Luke 20:41-21:4

Give.  Give generously,give out of your poverty.

It is easy to give out of our wealth,out of the places we have the most, but what if where we find ourselves lacking, we gave from there.  What if we sought the places we are the weakest, where we have the most dirth and purposefully and calculatingly gave to God from there.  Giving from our strength, giving from our position of power and from our wealth is not only easy, but it is our place of pride.  If we are to give like the widow, if we are to seek to be unlike the scribes, then we can not give from our pride from where we are our best, because then we are giving of our best and can do so on display, for honor. This is my best see look see, I am worthy, I have so much.  But when we give out of where we have the least, out of our poverty, anything good, anything worthy, and thing breautoful the comes of it, is the strength, the wholeness, the power of God at work in and through our weakness and poverty.  Where am I least? Where am I lacking, help me to give from there, so that god's strength may be made known in me, and through me.

Luke 20:1-8

The chief priests and the scribes came to JEsus with a question.  Jesus is all about the questions .  Jesus often taught by asking questions and he very. Jesus encouraged the asking of questions. But the questions he is presented with in this passage are not Ernest question. They are designed to trap home, to trip him up.  Jesus is all about answering Ernest questions.  Jesus has no problems with doubt and reservations but Jesus wil not be waylayed by insincere questioning.  Jesus will not play into their hands he wil not allow himself to be sucked into their game.

It I'd good to remember that ther is nothing wrong with questions and doubts.  In fact in many ways Jesus encourages us to come to him with our reservations.  Jesus wants us to come to him to learn, to find the answers to delve deeper into the personhood of God and God's redemptive plan for this world and for us. But at the same time if I am coming to Christ with insincere questions and argumentative confrontation, Jesus will simply not comply.  Will not be baited.  Insincere questions will remain unsnwere, not because Jesus does not have the answers, but because that kind of questioning does not deserve answers.

Luke 18:1-8

The persistent widow. In a world where widows had very little to depend upon save the graciousness of friends and relatives, especial be she a sonless widow, justice for her would be important.  There would be someone who would be required to take care of her, to be her advocate but if that person was failing at their responsibilities she would need Justice.  But she does not sit around and be,on the broken system, she does not whine allow herself to be the victim of a society that has forgotten her, she crystal out for justice.  She cries out and cries out and cries out and does not stop until she recieves the justice she wants. And Jesus says that if this man is wiling to do that for this woman how much more will God respond when one of God's own so relentlessly cries out for justice.  Justice. Jesus tells us to persistently cry out for justice, to work to move, to advocate for justice and God will see, God will hear and God will act on our behalf and justice will come.  Too often we sees the woman's persistence and think Jesus is telling us that if we are This persistent with. God for the things thT we want, we will receive from God what it is we want.  But it does not tell us that.  It tells us yo call out for justice, to work for justice and we will find thT God is too.